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It seems there should be a way to exploit the fact that ebooks are in electronic form, and that we are all connected by the internet. Every reader is a potential proof-reader.
Windows and OS X have a 'crash reporting' mechanism that allows users who experience crashes to send a report to the software publisher in question. Something analogous could be developed for ebooks and built into the reader software (at least for those devices which support annotation). One might even institute a microcredit scheme so that people who report the errors are rewarded in some tangible way. (hmm, publishers could intentionally introduce errors and give credits to the first 100 readers who find it, to encourage this proofing activity..)
So the idea is that users who encounter an error would invoke their reader's 'report an error' function, which would flag the location and allow the user to type a short note as to the nature of the error, the ebook version, the reader's contact info (if they opt in) etc. These error reports would be collected and forwarded or sent directly to the publisher when the device is 'connected' to the internet or tethered to a host computer. The publisher would then resolve the errors, publish a new edition and make it available for download to anyone who owns that title or is purchasing anew. The reader's librarian software could periodically check for and download updates (Amazon already is set up to update titles automatically - maybe a little too automatically in some cases).
eBook marketplaces that institute such a self-correcting system would become preferred to those that do not.
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